Once people get in gear, i'd assume those who didnt' play would be at an advantage. That said, ice on european rinks tends to be least wearing. That said, its still hockey. That said, who knows. That said...

I am more concerned about the players who have not been playing. With the compressed schedule I can see some muscle and hip injuries to those players. I think Malkin will tear it up for the first few weeks while other players are getting into shape.

meecrofilm wrote:Obviously helps Jeffrey getting that knee in game-shape. I'd hope he ends up on the roster if deserving, though I fully expect Adams' worthlessness to keep a better player off the roster.

meecrofilm wrote:Obviously helps Jeffrey getting that knee in game-shape. I'd hope he ends up on the roster if deserving, though I fully expect Adams' worthlessness to keep a better player off the roster.

If a player gets off to a good start after playing overseas, it will be b/c he's already in game shape. If he struggles, it will be b/c he isn't as rested as the guys that didn't.

If a player gets off to a good start that didn't play overseas, it will be b/c he's well-rested and got extra time to recover from last year. If he struggles, it will be b/c he's not in game shape and has a bunch of rust to knock off.

I was talking to a couple of people "in the biz" about this...there's no strong feelings one way or the other really...a lot of European schedules (like the KHL) aren't as demanding...breaks for tournaments occur, not a grind...45, 50, 55 game seasons spread out over a similar length of time as our 82-game jobs...less physical, less demanding systems...inside smaller countries like Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, less travel compared to the United States/Canada also...

Some get game shape out of it and start out better but finish worse...some might be worn out, hot dog it through the NHL season and get strong at the end...I mean, there's a few different possibilities...case by case basis though is the mantra for such a thing...no strong correlation one way or the other is evident to me...